Murder charges in a DUI case are some of the rarest charges. Drivers who drive under the influence and take someone’s life may find themselves facing either manslaughter or murder charges. Despite it being a lesser charge, gross vehicular manslaughter charges come with serious penalties if convicted. Penalties include between 4-10 years in prison, and this can increase to 15 years to life if the driver has a previous DUI manslaughter conviction. Furthermore, the driver will carry felony status, which can greatly affect future employment and other factors. The driver will also have to pay restitution to the victim’s family.
The Orange County Register reports that a woman, 26-year-old Keiunche Thompsonporter, received a 4-year prison sentence for a DUI crash that was fatal. In October, Thompsonporter pleaded guilty to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI causing injury, and driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit of 0.08% causing injury. All three charges are felonies.
The charges all came from a pre-dawn crash that occurred on January 20, 2019. Thompsonporter was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of the Riverside Freeway. She slammed into a 2015 Kia Soul.
Thompsonporter’s passenger, 25-year-old Carolina Agredano, died six days after the crash. The married couple in the Kia were also seriously injured.
At the time of the crash, Thompsonporter’s blood alcohol level was 0.23%.
